6/3/2019 Impact of Poverty on the Society | The Borgen Project

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EFFECTS OF POVERTY ON
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Issues like hunger, illness, and poor sanitation are all causes and
e ects of poverty [https://borgenproject.org/5-e ects-poverty/] .
That is to say, that not having food means being poor, but being
poor also means being unable to a ord food or  clean water. The
e ects of poverty are often interrelated so that one problem
rarely occurs alone. Bad sanitation makes one susceptible to
diseases, and hunger and lack of clean water makes one even
more vulnerable to diseases. Impoverished countries and
communities often su er from discrimination and end up caught Search 
in a cycle of poverty.

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E ects of Poverty on Society
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The vicious cycle of poverty means that lifelong barriers and
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troubles are passed on from one generation to the next.
Unemployment and low incomes create an environment where 30 Ways to Help

children are unable to attend school. Children must often work to Volunteer Ops
provide an income for their family. As for children who are able to
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go to school, many fail to see how hard work can improve their Stay Informed with E-
lives as they see their parents struggle at every day tasks. Other Alerts
plagues accompanying poverty include:

Crippling accidents as a result of unsafe work environments—

consider the recent building collapse in Bangladesh.

Poor housing—a long-lasting cause of diseases.

Water and food related diseases that occur simply because the
poor cannot a ord “safe” foods.

Ultimately, poverty is a major cause of social tensions and

threatens to divide a nation because of income inequality. This
occurs when the wealth of a country is poorly distributed among
its citizens—when a tiny minority has a majority of the money.
Wealthy or developed countries maintain stability because of the
presence of a middle class. However, even Western countries are
gradually losing their middle class. As a result there has been an
increased number of riots and clashes. For society, poverty is a
very dangerous factor that can destabilize an entire country. The
Arab Spring is a great example of how revolts can start because of
few job opportunities and high poverty levels.

Child Poverty
 

The number of children a ected by poverty has been increasing

since the 1960s. Children are those with the least amount choice
and ability to change their circumstances. There is very little they
can do to help their families, nor should they have to. Usually by
the age of six they can be enrolled in child labor
[http://borgenproject.org/child-labor-101/] . Nearly all the
potential e ects of poverty impact the lives of children—poor
infrastructure, unemployment, malnutrition, domestic violence,
child labor, and disease. Simply analyzing the e ects of child
poverty on education in developed countries alone reveal some
disturbing statistics:

Children from poor backgrounds lag behind at all stages of

education.

By the age of three, poorer children are estimated to be nine

months behind children from wealthier backgrounds.

By the end of primary school, students receiving free school

meals are estimated to be about three terms behind their
peers.

By 14, this gap increases to over ve terms.

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By 16, children receiving free school meals are about 1.7 grade
points below their more a uent peers’ average GPA.

E ects of Poverty and Violence

 

The e ect of poverty on terrorism is not as straightforward as the

media often perceives it to be. Poverty fuels terrorism by creating
a state of misery and frustration that pushes people to join
terrorist organizations. But more research shows, it is more
complicated.

Of course, some terrorists come from poor countries with high

unemployment, and terrorist organizations often provide higher
salaries than other jobs. But terrorism may not be a direct e ect
of poverty. So what is the source of frustration and anger?

Studies show that countries with weak governments, fragile

institutions, and limited civil rights are a great environment to
nurture the production of terrorist activity. Countries undergoing
di cult transitions—i.e. from authoritarian to democratic regime
—often encounter political instability with the blurring of certain
rules and laws.

These periods of profound change come with a transformation of

social order, values, and methods of governing that many people
may nd distressing and unsettling. Therefore, stabilizing and
empowering political institutions is a crucial part of ghting
against the dangerous consequences of poverty.

– Scarlet Shelton

Sources: Poverties.org, [http://www.poverties.org/e ects-of-

poverty.html] CPAG, [http://www.cpag.org.uk/content/impact-
poverty] UK Government
Photo: Ambergris Today

[http://www.ambergristoday.com/content/stories/2011/november/25/cons
andpoverty]

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AUGUST 3, 2016

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